A KEEN rugby union fan is to be appointed as the new Church of England bishop covering Runcorn and north west Cheshire.

Married father-of-three the Rev Keith Sinclair, currently vicar of Holy Trinity in Coventry, is to be formally consecrated as Bishop of Birkenhead at York Minister on March 8.

London-born Mr Sinclair, 54, worked as a solicitor before taking holy orders.

He said: 'I'm looking forward to coming here very much. Let me say a word of greeting to everyone, through the media - 'greetings in Christ's name'.

'My wife and I at different times were in Merseyside during the 1980s and have really good memories. Please pray to God to use us, with you, to bring good things to the region in all its diversity.'

In his new role, Mr Sinclair will assist the Bishop of Chester in leading the Diocese of Chester, and particularly the western half, including Run-corn, Warrington, Wallasey, Chester and rural areas as far south as Malpas.

The Bishop of Chester, the Rt Revd Dr Peter Forster, said: 'Keith Sinclair will bring to Wirral and to the Diocese of Chester a rich experience of ministry in Birmingham and Coventry. He will bring a particular expertise in urban ministry, but will be well placed to contribute to the whole life of the Diocese.'

Mr Sinclair was trained for church ministry in the early 1980s and worked as a curate at Christ Church, Summerfield, Birmingham, from 1984 to 1988. He was also a chaplain at the Children's Hospital, Birmingham.

He was Vicar of Aston, Birmingham, between 1988 and 2001, where he worked on urban renewal, evangelism and justice issues in a multi-cultural parish.

Since 2001 he has been vicar of a city centre church in Coventry, where he has worked to develop youth ministry and promote good community relations.